We make decisions every day. Sometimes these decisions can be simple or can be complex. Sometimes these decisions can be made individually or are made as part of a group. Sometimes these decisions can be insignificant or can have huge consequences. Sometimes these decisions can be good or can be bad. According to estimates, an average adult makes 35,000 remotely conscious decisions every single day!
In the context of an organization, our decisions can range from hiring/firing people, creating/retiring processes, adding/removing product features, escalating/deescalating service requests, buying/building/retiring technologies and many more. When it comes to deciding if your organization is going to go on Business and Digital Transformation journeys highly depend on who framed that question and what contexts were they looking at to pose such a question. Contrary to popular belief, Business and Digital Transformation is not for everyone.
To understand if your organization is equipped to begin and thrive in its Business and Digital Transformation journeys then you have to make a concerted effort to understand if going on these journeys was qualitatively assessed or just someone’s intuition. You have to take into account if your organization’s Strategy, Politics, Innovation, Culture, and Execution are in-line with your journeys. You have to make your people, processes, products, services, and technologies reflect these journeys. You have to make sure you have the right structure and roles in place to be successful in these journeys. Lastly, you have to make sure that everyone and everything is on the same page by having a common mission that not only attracts but motivates the organization.
Ask the following self-assessment questions to determine if your organization is ready for Business and Digital Transformation journeys:
| Today | Tomorrow | |
| 1. | Who is directly responsible for Business and Digital Transformation? | Who should be directly responsible for Business and Digital Transformation? |
| 2. | What are the specific goals/criteria you want to achieve through Business and Digital Transformation? What is the alternative if you don’t do this? | What should be the specific goals/criteria you want to achieve through Business and Digital Transformation? What should be the alternative if you don’t do this? |
| 3. | Where do Business and Digital Transformation start and end in your organization? Executive? Middle Management? Front-line Employees? | Where should Business and Digital Transformation start and end in your organization? Executive? Middle Management? Front-line Employees? |
| 4. | When is Business and Digital Transformation an asset vs. liability? | When should Business and Digital Transformation an asset vs. liability? |
| 5. | Why Business and Digital Transformation? | Why should you do Business and Digital Transformation? |
As you ponder the above questions, it is prudent to think of Business and Digital Transformation as holistic journeys that are also connected to each other. You have to make sure how Business and Digital Transformation is understood and how perceptions about it can create obstacles. You have to be aware of patterns that you can take advantage of and what patterns you shouldn’t even consider. Use common analogies to discuss/share Business and Digital Transformation and have firm value propositions (backed by data) to illustrate the point of doing (or not doing) all of this.
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